Nothing To Fear
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Jackson Overland has heard the stories of Pitch Black-how he lures children away to feed on their fear to supply his own power. When his own sister is lured away, Jackson tries unsuccessfully to save her, at the cost of his own life. 300 years later, history is about to repeat itself. This time, can Jack Frost put an end to Pitch's ritual before more children's lives are lost?
1. Strange Happenings in Burgess

**This story came to me one afternoon at work when I was thinking about the movie Hocus Pocus. P.S. I have seen the movie the whole way through maybe twice and I never remember it, so, even though the beginning may be a bit similar, it will not stay that way. I have started to plan out this story, but as it progresses, it will still require more planning.**

 **I had the hardest time coming up with a title for this story. Eventually I went with this one, but it may or may not change in the future.**

 **By the way (and I promise I'll only say it once in this story), if you want to keep up with information about my stories, I have a Twitter that you can follow. Info for that is on my Fanfiction profile.**

 **Okay, so…here we go. I hope you enjoy the story!**

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Chapter 1: Strange Happenings In Burgess

 _Darkness. Fear. Pitch Black. The Boogeyman. So many names for the same thing…person. It's said that he will lure kids away from their homes and feed upon their fear, consuming it to grow stronger. I know firsthand that this statement, this claim, is true because I have seen it happen. In fact, I tried to stop it from happening and it forever changed my life. My name is Jack Frost. That wasn't always my name. Allow me to explain. Let me take you back to the small settlement of Burgess in the year 1710. That is where my tale, this story, begins._

Jackson Overland bolted upright in the dark and he immediately sensed that something wasn't quite right. Across the room, he could see that his sister also sat upright and he relaxed a little, knowing now why he had awoken. Usually, Emma slept through the night. "Emma, are you okay?" he whispered.

"Jack, I'm scared."

"It's okay, Emma. I'm right here. There's no reason to be afraid," Jackson comforted his ten-year old sister. "Nothing's going to hurt you. I won't let them." From across the room, he heard his sister chuckle nervously. _**It's not working. She's still afraid.**_ "Emma, you can come and sleep over here in bed with me if that will help you feel better."

Jackson waited for a few moments but the shadow that he knew to be Emma never moved. He lay back down and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, Jackson had fallen back into a peaceful sleep. The next time he awoke, maybe an hour later, he again felt something amiss. It was still dark, probably around 3AM. _**The witching hour.**_

Lying still, Jackson stared into the darkness and listened for any indication about why he had awakened. Across the room, he heard Emma stir, stand from her bed and start to walk across the room. Instantly, he remembered his promise. Finally she had given up and was coming over to climb into bed with him. Jackson gripped the covers and prepared to lift them so Emma could crawl in beside him. However, his attempt halted when he heard Emma walk past him. Still not moving a muscle, Jackson craned his ears to listen to Emma's soft footsteps. _**It's okay,**_ he reassured himself. _**She's just relieving herself in the outhouse.**_ His reassures fell flat, though, when he heard the soft opening and shutting of the front door; the outhouse was outside the back door of the house.

The opening and shutting of the front door was so soft that Jackson knew he would surely have missed it if he were not focusing so hard on listening to Emma's footsteps.

 _ **Emma!**_ Whipping the covers off, Jackson jumped up and raced quietly to the front door. In his haste, he did not even bother to throw shoes on his bare feet. Instead, he grabbed his brown cloak on the way out and tied it around his neck on the way out.

Jackson did not open and shut the door as quietly as Emma had, but he was in a hurry. He had to catch Emma and stop her…because he could just tell that something very wrong was happening here in Burgess on this night.

From the light of the full moon, Jackson could make out Emma's silhouette in the distance, moving away from him. Where was she going?

Racing at top speed, Jackson was dismayed to notice that, no matter how fast he ran, he still was unable to catch up to his sister. How was that possible? This strange phenomenon increased the nervousness inside Jackson. Things were definitely amiss in Burgess.

Jackson raced after Emma through the forest surrounding Burgess. He ran past his favorite lake where he and Emma enjoyed ice skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. Tonight, though, he had no time to stop and reminisce the beauty of the full moon rippling over the almost-still water.

Following Emma, Jackson came to a strange clearing and he was surprised to find a small house. _**Who lives here? They're not someone we'd know. No one from Burgess lives out here alone in the forest.**_ That didn't stop Emma from walking in the door.

Knowing that it would be unwise to just blindly follow Emma through the door, Jackson crept quietly over to one of the cabin's windows. Slowly, he peered in and almost gasped aloud at the sight he found. Emma was sitting, straight and unmoving, in a wooden chair in the center of the room. From his distance, Jackson could barely make out Emma's face, but she appeared to be staring unblinking and straight in front of her as if under some sort of spell. Flitting around the room was a tall dark shadowy figure of a man. "No…" Jackson whispered. He had heard stories of this: a dark man who would lure children away from their homes and feed upon their fear, using it to grow stronger. Many a child had died from this practice…and Emma was to be next! Jackson berated himself for not figuring it out sooner. Emma was ten now, the perfect age for…this. _**I have to save her!**_

While the man (Jackson believed he had heard him referred to as Pitch Black a time or two in the stories) had his back turned to the window, Jackson tested the ledge, feeling for a lock. Finding none, Jackson let out a sigh. Of course it's a window that locked from the inside. What were the chances that it was unlocked? Positioning his hands beneath the lower edge of the window, Jackson pushed up, cringing at the noise the old window made. Seeing no sign that Pitch Black had heard the noise, though, Jackson continued, overjoyed when the window slowly slid upwards.

Jackson opened the window just enough to allow his tall slim figure to slip into the cabin. Though the opening was a little narrow, Jackson had little problems slipping inside; he'd snuck in and out of his own house before to play tricks in the dead of night. This time, though, there were no tricks to play. There was just the serious reminder to save Emma before it was too late.

Before Pitch could turn around and spot Jackson, he snuck into a dark corner, hoping the shadows were enough to conceal him long enough to form a successful plan to rescue his sister.

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 **So…as I was writing, I decided to split this opening scene up into two chapters. I didn't want this first chapter to be overwhelming.**

 **You have no idea how excited I am for this story. I have the plot points planned out and I will be fleshing them out as the story develops. With that said, I'll talk with you all again in chapter 2!**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting Nothing To Fear!**

 **Posted: August 30, 2015**


	2. Two Lives Lost

**Okay, here we go! Chapter two to finish off that opening scene. I hope that everyone enjoyed the first chapter!**

 **Review Reply:**

 _ **GirlFish**_ **: Well, I would be lying if I said that Hocus Pocus was not an inspiration for this story. However, I really don't remember much of the movie, so after this beginning, things kinda…don't follow Hocus Pocus anymore. Instead, it's more like Rise of the Guardians…with my own special YN-twist to it, of course.**

 ** _TheCrazyTwins_ : Thank you! Yeah, I was hoping that the plot was original…and it will definitely differ from the movie that I mentioned (Hocus Pocus) mainly because I never remember the middle of that movie. The idea just randomly came to me and I just had to write it…once it was fleshed out, of course. This chapter's a bit longer, but hopefully it's just as good.**

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Chapter 2: Two Lives Lost

From his vantage point in the dark corner, Jackson had a clear view of his sister. Jackson's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth as he looked upon his entranced sister. _**How dare Pitch Black do this to Emma! He will pay for crossing the Overland family!**_ Closing his eyes, Jackson squeezed back tears. He couldn't deny that he was afraid, but he had to be strong; Emma's life depended on him! Feeling around the dark wall, Jackson found a thick stick propped up and leaning against the wall. He ran his hand along the tall piece of wood and found that it curved into a hook-like shape at the top. It wasn't much of a weapon, but Jackson didn't care; he just needed something to defend himself if he needed to take on Pitch one-on-one, a weapon that could buy him enough time to get Emma safely away from this evil man.

Pitch continued to flit around the room and Jackson could still barely make out the man's words. Jackson did not really care about what Pitch was doing or saying, though; the boy's focus was solely on his sister. _**Emma…Don't worry, I'm going to save you. I won't let him harm you!**_

Jackson was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Pitch approach Emma. "Well, aren't you a pretty young girl?" Pitch spoke to Emma even though he knew that the girl would not reply. "And your fear…" he laughed, a sinister sound that sent chills down Jackson's back. "Oh, yes, you, Emma Overland, are perfect."

Resisting the urge to growl, Jackson gripped the stick tighter in his anger. _**How dare Pitch speak of his sister this way!**_

Pitch glanced out the window and Jackson tensed slightly, fearing that he would be spotted. However, Pitch merely turned back to Emma and smirked. "The ritual is ready." He stepped closer to Emma. "Such a shame that you will not remember your last breathing moments. Yes, you heard right," Pitch continued, talking to Emma as if she could actually hear his words. "This ritual will drain your fear…but it will also take your life."

Before Pitch could step any closer to Emma, Jackson stepped out from the shadows. "Don't even think of harming her!" he yelled out to Pitch, the curved top of the stick that Jackson had found pointed directly at the dark man.

"How nice of you to finally step forward, Jackson Overland," Pitch answered smoothly, turning to give Jackson a sinister smile.

Jackson lowered his stick just slightly. "How did you—?" he started before he was interrupted.

"Know your name? Know that you were hiding in the shadows of my house? Simple. Your fear was quite prominent, very easy to sense. As for your name, well, that's unimportant. I know all the names of children…even those like you who are too old for the fear ritual. Besides, you are quite popular in that little town of Burgess. Even though I merely watched from the shadows, I heard your name spoken by the other children in the town. Quite often in fact."

Jackson growled, annoyed that Pitch had been secretly watching over the children in his town. How long had Pitch been hiding in the shadows until he sought to lure Emma away? "I'm only going to say this once," Jackson growled in deep warning. "Let my sister go. Now."

"You know, Jackson, I would if I could, but you see my powers are starting to diminish. I need to complete this ritual, so I need your sister. I truly am sorry."

"Since you aren't going to make this easy, I guess I'm going to have to fight you. I didn't want to. I hate fighting. Still, I won't let you kill Emma!"

Pitch was unfazed by Jackson's tough front. "Listen, Jackson, my time to complete this ritual is very limited. So, be a good little boy and wait for me to finish." Pointing a hand at Jackson, a black grainy substance quickly overtook the boy.

In his surprise, Jackson dropped his stick. The substance wrapped around his body, tightly immobilizing him. _**Sand?**_ Jackson struggled against the hold of the sand, but it was no use; he couldn't break free.

"You thought you could defeat me with just a stick at your defense? Even at my weakest, you'd have to do better than that, but see now, this is much better, no?" Pitch smirked and turned back to Emma. "Now, to finish this ritual while there is still time."

"Emma!" Jackson yelled. "Snap out of it! Wake up, Emma…or he'll kill you!"

"Nice try," Pitch smirked, "but she cannot hear your weak attempts."

"Emma, please," Jackson cried, his voice starting to become hoarse. "It's me…please, Emma, don't let him do this to you."

As if she could hear Jackson's cries and pleas, Emma blinked slowly. She took a sharp breath in as she took in her surroundings, unsure of how she had gotten from her bed to this strange place. Her eyes locked on her bound older brother in front of her. "Jack!"

"Emma!" Relief washed over Jackson. "Get out of here. Go! Run as fast and as far away as you can. I'll catch up. Just go!"

Pitch had never taken the time to bind Emma to the chair, so she made to rise and run away towards home, just as her brother had instructed. Unfortunately, Pitch moved faster than Emma.

"Not so fast!" Emma had barely shifted in the chair when Pitch placed his hand over Emma's heart. At his touch, Emma was rooted to the seat, unable to break from his grasp. Slowly, she felt her strength draining with every passing minute.

Jackson struggled harder against the binding sand, but it was impossible. He would never break free in time to save Emma. Though he had never seen this "fear ritual" of which Pitch had spoken, Jackson just knew that he was witnessing it now. He could see how his sister's eyes wavered between open and shut; she wouldn't last much longer.

Pitch smirked as he felt Emma Overland's fear transfer to him through the assistance of the ritual. He had been right. Her fear was strong and his need would be satisfied for quite a long time once the ritual was completed.

Emma tried her hardest to stay awake, but she felt so drained. She just wanted to sleep. "J-Jack…I'm scared," she whispered.

Though she spoke so quietly, Jackson still heard her words. Tears sprang to his eyes as he remembered just a few hours ago how she had spoken these very same words to him. Those words had been her last words before Pitch had lured her away to this godforsaken place…and now they might very well be her last words before the fear ritual brought upon her death _ **. No, I can't think like that. I need to help Emma.**_ "It's okay, Emma. I'm right here. I'll…I'll protect you, Emma," Jackson replied, his voice breaking at the end. He hadn't kept his promise. He'd promised to protect Emma from this evil that was known as Pitch Black. Jackson had promised…and he'd failed.

With one final breath, Emma's eyes slid shut and she slumped forward in the chair. The fear ritual was complete. Pitch breathed in, allowing the newly-acquired fear to wash through his veins. Once his strength had returned, Pitch turned and his eyes fell upon Jackson, still bound and glaring daggers at the dark man. "Unfortunately, you, Jackson Overland, are too old for the fear ritual…not that I'll need the fear ritual again for a while. However, you've seen too much. I'm afraid that you'll need to join your sister in death," Pitch informed Jackson with not even the least ounce of sympathy in his voice.

Pitch stepped closer to Jackson and the boy couldn't help but to shrink back slightly. This man has just mercilessly killed his sister and now he was threatening to do the same to him. Jackson did not feel Pitch release the sand bindings from his arms and legs; he was still too numb from all that he had just witnessed.

"Any last words, Jack?" Pitch mocked as he directed more of that strange black sand toward Jackson. "Oh, don't be afraid. It won't hurt…for long." Pitch laughed as if his words were some kind of twisted inside joke that only he understood.

Jackson scowled. "Afraid? You think I'm afraid? I'm not afraid of you."

Pitch laughed again, this time as if Jackson's words were another joke that only he found to be funny. "Oh, you can tell yourself that, but, deep down, do you really believe that, Jack?"

No, Jackson did not. Though his words had come out with an icy edge of confidence, Jackson could not deny that he was scared. I'm sorry, Emma. I'm just not as brave as you always thought me to be.

Pitch's mysterious black sand surrounded Jackson, choking him. Jackson dropped to his knees and clutched at his throat, willing himself to breathe. Pain spread through his body like wildfire as his lungs begged with air.

His vision was starting to fade to black when Jackson heard it. Pitch's sinister laughter resounded, echoing around Jackson, mocking his weakness. Giving into the blackness that surrounded him, Jackson heard Pitch speak three final words. "Goodbye, Jackson Overland."

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 **Not going to lie, I love this chapter! I know we're only two chapters in, but this is my favorite so far. I just had so much fun writing this one. As for the chapter title, man, I had such a hard time deciding what would best depict the events in this chapter. Did I choose well? Haha.**

 **As for the next chapter, it might be a little while again. I'm going back and forth between two possible ways to tell the same storyline. Am I the only one that has this problem? Basically, when I decide which path will be most interesting and best for leading the story forward, I will set to writing chapter 3. Until then!**

 **Thanks for reading and supporting Nothing To Fear!**

 **Posted: September 7, 2015**


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